Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Dalek Documentary Discovered

Material from a long-lost documentary featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the 1966 film Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. has been discovered in a private collection in Wales.

The recovered edition of the 1960s teen culture show A Whole Scene Going contains a sneak-peek into the making of the big-screen Doctor Who adventure. The brief clip shows movie Doctor Peter Cushing preparing to battle the Daleks. The black-and-white footage, taken on the set of the movie, also captures director Gordon Flemyng behind camera as he talks with stunt-men and plans out the movie's climactic final scenes.

Interspersed with the footage is an interview with Flemyng — who died in 1995, aged 61 — revealing that he preferred making "entertainment pictures" as opposed to more high-brow films, but "didn't take them any less seriously".

Although the BBC wiped the master-tape of A Whole Scene Going, a copy of the magazine show was made and found its way on to the collectors' circuit. Classic TV organisation Kaleidoscope, which recovered the 16mm film print in conjunction with the Tim Disney Archive, said the find would "delight" Doctor Who and vintage music fans alike.

Chris Perry of Kaleidoscope said:

A Whole Scene Going is an exciting TV find. For Doctor Who fans there's a fascinating glimpse into the making of feature film Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D., showing Peter Cushing as the Doctor on the set along with director Gordon Flemyng and lots of Daleks. For music-lovers there are priceless performances by classic British beat band the Spencer Davis Group as well as American singer/songwriter Judy Collins. Sixties pop shows were routinely shown live or wiped after transmission so it's great to find one that slipped past the eraser's magnet!

Tim Disney of the Tim Disney Archive said:

How this print came into existence or found its way to a Welsh village, we'll never know. However, one theory is that it could have been film-recorded by BBC Wales from the network feed down the line from London for transmission at a later date.

A Whole Scene Going also features a rare interview with the Spencer Davis Group, who perform their chart-topping single Somebody Help Me.

Kaleidoscope and the TDA — which bought the film print privately from the collector — are currently in the process of returning a digital copy to the BBC Archive. However, fans will get the chance to see the recovered footage for the first time in more than four decades at Kaleidoscope's next screening event, taking place in Stourbridge, West Midlands, on Saturday 9th June.

Tim Disney of the TDA added:

Doctor Who was not the primary draw for us in recovering this programme, but the content of the programme as a whole — the exciting period of popular culture it reflects and its place in the history of British television. Thankfully, after the collector discovered he had a unique TV recording he was keen to ensure it would be returned to the BBC archives, turning down silly money offers to deal instead with Kaleidoscope and the TDA.